Electronic displays facilitate the reproduction of data via a lighted platform. Driving circuitry is employed to manipulate lighted elements to render the information being displayed. The viewer may gaze upon the display and view the lighted elements to process and consume the information.
The electronic display may be implemented in various contexts and locations. For example, the electronic display may be situated in a vehicle, and specifically, a center stack location. The center stack may include various non-digital elements associated with the vehicle, such as an analog control, paneling, bezel, and the like. These elements may be employed to present and control information about the vehicles entertainment, navigation and climate control functions for example.
Manufacturers may desire to present the electronic display in a manner that is integrated with the center stack. The center stack is the location on a vehicle instrument panel situated between the front seat driver and passenger locations. This location is subject to various government regulatory crash safety specifications, namely United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation 21 (ECE21) & United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201 (FMVSS201). These safety regulations require that no dangerous conditions exist after a simulated crash with a metal sphere representing a person's head. These dangerous conditions include debris and sharp edges resulting from breakage that could injure the vehicle occupant during the crash or during egress from the vehicle, for example. In these situations, the electronic display may be situated with an anti-shatter plastic film laminated lens. This may further be situated with a plastic (or other material) capable of mounting the lens. There is a trend to have an exposed strengthened glass lens instead of plastic for improved scratch and craftsmanship. The figures shown are all glass lens embodiments with plastic frames.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a picture frame implementation of an electronic display 100. As shown, a lens 110 is held in place by a frame 120, the lens 110 includes a visible portion 111 that serves to convey the information associated with electronic display 100's presentation. Also shown is an offset distance 130. This corresponds to the amount of area associated with the distance dedicated to the lens 110 and the frame 120. Further, a distance 140 is shown based on the portion of the electronic display 100 dedicated to the frame 120. This leads to a distance 150 associated with lens 110 that is obscured by the frame 120, as well as a required clearance gap 160 based on the placement of the lens 110 to frame 120; gap 160 distance is a function of mechanical tolerances to avoid interference as well as allowances for material thermal coefficient of expansion differential mismatch of lens 110 and frame 120. In the case of glass lens 110 and plastic frame 120, typical coefficients of expansion for glass are substantially smaller than plastic, as the device is exposed to lower temperatures than ambient, frame 120 shrinks relative to lens 110. If the gap 160 becomes zero, stress occurs at the joint that can lead to structural failure.
Thus, the electronic display 100 allows protection during an impact (i.e. a crash); however, significant portions of the lens 110 are not visible due to the configuration shown and offset 130 is necessary.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a implementation of an electronic display 200; this is commonly used for smartphone construction. As shown in FIG. 2, a lens 110 is provided and supported via a frame 220. In contrast to FIG. 1, the frame 220 provides a backing portion/support on the lens 110.
The backing portion creates a distance 230 due to mechanical tolerance stackups to bring the various elements together. Further, gap 260 is necessary for the same reasons as gap 160. Also shown in this implementation is a distance 249 and distance 250.
This implementation may be aesthetically more desirable than the implantations shown in FIG. 1. However, due to the opposition caused by the frame 220 and the lens 110 being in the point of impact, the durability of this implementation is much lesser during impact situations because although impact at the center of the lens may allow some flexure of lens 110; impact away from center of lens 110 presents a higher state of stress between gap 260 and center of lens 110 since frame distance 250 prevents compliance flexure of lens 110.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an exposed implementation of an electronic display 300. As shown in FIG. 3, a lens 310 is provided along with a frame 320. The frame 320 is placed behind the lens 310, and connected with a fastening substance. The interaction between the frame 320 and the lens 310 defines the following dimensions 330, 340, and 350.
In order for the implementation to work, the dimensions of 330, 340, and 350 have to be of a specific amount. Further, due to the interplay between the frame 320 and the lens 310, the implementation may be brittle and subject to breaking in response to impact for the same reasons listed on FIG. 2. In addition, in the case of glass, the edges generally have more structural flaws from fabrication than the faces of the glass, so direct impact on these flaws is undesirable.
Thus, as explained above with regards to FIGS. 1-3, the existing implementations of providing a lens with an electronic display system each have issues that make the various implementations lacking in simultaneous solution of providing both an aesthetic finish, with the durability required for impact and inability to accommodate thermal coefficient of expansion differential mismatch.